SoVote

Feb/14/22 8:01:06 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-10

Mr. Speaker, I withdraw the comment and I apologize.

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Feb/14/22 8:01:12 p.m.
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It being 8 p.m., pursuant to an order made earlier today, it is my duty to interrupt the proceedings to put forthwith every question necessary to dispose of Motion No. 8 under government business now before the House. The question is on the amendment. If a member of a recognized party wishes to request a recorded division or that the amendment be adopted on division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.

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Mr. Kevin Lamoureux

Feb/14/22 8:02:45 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we request a recorded vote.

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Recorded

The Speaker

Feb/14/22 8:02:45 p.m.
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Call in the members.

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Call

The Speaker

Feb/14/22 8:48:49 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-10

I declare the amendment defeated.

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Mrs. Sherry Romanado (Longueuil—Charles-LeMoyne, Lib.)

Feb/14/22 8:49:06 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, there have been discussions among the parties, and if you seek it, I believe you will find unanimous consent to adopt the following motion. I move: That, notwithstanding any standing order, special order or usual practice of the House, Government Business No. 8 standing on the Order Paper in the name of the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, be amended: a) in paragraph (c), by deleting all the words after the words “recorded division is requested” and substituting the following, “it shall be deferred to the next sitting day at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions, and the House shall then adjourn to the next sitting day”; and b) by deleting paragraph (g).

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The Speaker

Feb/14/22 8:49:39 p.m.
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All those opposed to the hon. member moving the motion will please say nay. Hearing no dissenting voice, it is agreed. The House has heard the terms of the motion. All those opposed to the motion will please say nay.

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The Speaker

Feb/14/22 8:50:22 p.m.
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The next question is on the main motion, as amended. If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes to request a recorded division or that the motion, as amended, be adopted on division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.

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Mr. John Brassard

Feb/14/22 8:51:48 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we request a recorded division.

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The Speaker

Feb/14/22 9:05:06 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-10

I declare the motion, as amended, carried. Pursuant to order made earlier today, the House will now proceed to the consideration of the bill at second reading.

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The Speaker

Feb/14/22 9:05:11 p.m.
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Pursuant to order made earlier today, two members of each recognized party and a member of the Green Party may each speak for not more than 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes for questions and comments. Members may be permitted to split their time with another member.

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Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos

Feb/14/22 9:05:11 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-10

Mr. Speaker, I am obviously very happy to rise this evening, during the 44th Parliament of Canada, to support Bill C‑10, which would give Health Canada the legislative authority to spend up to $2.5 billion to purchase and distribute rapid tests across the country. This bill will help the provinces and territories meet their needs for COVID‑19 rapid tests and will continue to support the national program for COVID‑19 workplace screening, in addition to federal workplace testing and screening initiatives. It is a critical time in our fight against COVID-19, and we need every tool at our disposal. Testing plays a key role in our effort to contain and mitigate the pandemic by identifying infected individuals—

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Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos (Minister of Health, Lib.)

Feb/14/22 9:05:11 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-10

moved that Bill C-10, An Act respecting certain measures related to COVID-19, be read the second time and referred to a committee of the whole.

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The Speaker

Feb/14/22 9:06:08 p.m.
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I am going to interrupt the hon. minister and call for order. Order. I want to point out to everyone that the minister is giving a speech and I want to make sure that everyone can hear what he has to say. The hon. minister.

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Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos

Feb/14/22 9:06:26 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-10

Mr. Speaker, I forgot to mention that I will be splitting my time with the member for Winnipeg North. Testing, as we all know, plays a key role in our efforts to contain and mitigate the pandemic. Identifying infected individuals helps to prevent further person-to-person transmission of the virus. As everyone knows, health care services are struggling to meet the demand for polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, tests, because the omicron variant has a very high infection rate. Provinces and territories across the country are now relying on rapid tests to help fill this significant gap. Rapid tests are a screening method that can more easily and quickly detect COVID-19 in a variety of settings such as schools, workplaces and other high-risk environments including long-term care facilities and hospitals, to name a few. Using rapid tests in new settings can help detect the spread of COVID-19 and support measures to break the chain of transmission. Not everyone who has COVID-19 will show symptoms. In fact, the prevalence of asymptomatic infection is probably a significant factor in the high rate of transmission of omicron. Rapid testing allows a person to detect the virus in as little as 15 minutes, which makes it a powerful tool that Canadians can use to help curb the spread of the omicron variant. Since the introduction of Bill C-8, which provided additional funding for the purchase and distribution of rapid tests, Canada experienced an exponential increase in the number of cases and hospitalizations. The spread of omicron also led to an abrupt increase in demand for rapid tests. This is putting pressure on global supply, where supply chains are very tight, so clearly we need to get more of these tests, and we need to do it now. Bill C-10 will allow Health Canada to purchase and distribute hundreds of millions of rapid tests across the country and help ensure equitable access in all jurisdictions. It also builds on commitments made in last December's economic and fiscal update, which included an additional $1.7 billion in funding for the procurement and distribution of rapid tests across the country. Bill C-10 would also allow Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada to continue supporting provinces and territories by securing the rapid tests that they need to keep Canadians safe and healthy, including through expanded schoolplace and workplace testing programs. Finally, Bill C-10 would allow us to continue supporting businesses of all sizes by providing rapid tests for workplace screening programs through direct delivery and partners such as chambers of commerce and pharmacies. Throughout the pandemic, the Canadian government has worked closely with its provincial and territorial partners to ensure they have the tools they need to manage outbreaks and ensure the safety and health of everyone. The federal government starting buying and providing rapid tests free of charge to the provinces and territories in October 2020. The Government of Canada delivered more than 35 million rapid tests to provinces and territories in December 2021, and 140 million additional tests were delivered to Canada in January alone. The Government of Canada also supports the Canadian Red Cross in its delivery efforts. Companies with 200 employees or more, including federally regulated companies, can receive rapid tests free of charge directly from the Government of Canada. Small and medium-sized businesses and other organizations can also receive and have access to rapid tests through one of the Canadian government's delivery partners. The Canadian government has spent the past two years enhancing its ability to respond quickly and efficiently to the many challenges associated with the pandemic. Working with the provinces, territories and other partners, we are delivering the tools we need to protect Canadians in our health care system from the most serious outcomes of COVID-19. As my colleagues know, this year started out with a marked increase in the number of COVID-19 cases when there was a surge in the omicron variant in Canada and around the world. Recent modelling has shown that the increase in omicron infections has probably peaked. However, the number of daily admissions to hospitals and intensive care units is still high and many hospitals in Canada are under intense pressure. Therefore, we must continue to do everything we can to limit the spread of COVID-19 and its variants. In the short term, that means vaccines, boosters and strong adherence to public health guidelines. Because nearly three million eligible Canadians have yet to get a first or second dose of the primary series and many other Canadians are also eligible for a booster, we want to improve our individual and collective protection with the COVID‑19 vaccines. This will help us keep fighting the omicron wave and any potential new waves and variants. Looking ahead, Canada will need to continue to tackle future waves, which may or may not be smaller than the omicron surge depending on how the virus evolves. Screening tests, combined with individual public health measures and vaccination, play an important role in protecting Canadians and reducing the risk of outbreaks, swiftly identifying and isolating cases, and limiting the spread of COVID‑19 and its variants of concern. We are all tired after living with the COVID‑19 pandemic for the past two years and the most recent omicron wave. We all want to know when the pandemic will be over, but we cannot simply snap our fingers and decide that COVID‑19 is over. We are at a critical juncture in the pandemic. We must do the right thing and act responsibly, and we need to do it now. We know that rapid tests will help us slow the spread of omicron. They will also help manage outbreaks and, ultimately, they will help keep Canadians safe and healthy. That is why I urge all members of the House to support Bill C‑10.

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Mr. Frank Caputo (Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo, CPC)

Feb/14/22 9:14:15 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-10

Mr. Speaker, it is always a pleasure to rise on behalf of the citizens of Kamloops—Thompson—Cariboo. I would be remiss if I did not wish my wife Odette, my better half, a very happy Valentine's Day. To get to the more germane issue and the minister's speech, about five weeks ago, I took the minister to have stated that vaccinations should be considered mandatory by some provinces. I want to ask whether the minister still holds the view that I perceived him to have and whether this legislation impacts that view.

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Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos

Feb/14/22 9:14:59 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-10

Mr. Speaker, maybe I should extend the same kind words to my own better half. I wish her a very happy Valentine's Day, but I doubt she will be watching us tonight. If our better halves are watching us tonight, and do not have other more important things to do, then a happy Valentine's Day to all of them. On the issue of vaccination, obviously we know how important vaccinations are for getting through this crisis, and we know that vaccination mandates have worked in Canada. Some 99% of public servants have made the right choice and got the vaccines. They are protecting not only their own health, but also the health of their loved ones, including their better halves most likely, and the health of their colleagues at work and elsewhere.

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Mr. Don Davies (Vancouver Kingsway, NDP)

Feb/14/22 9:15:50 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-10

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to wish my lovely wife Sheryl Palm a happy Valentine's Day, since I do not want to be left out in this. She is my sweetheart. We have known from the beginning of the pandemic that testing and tracing are critical components of dealing with it, and I think that is still true today. We know that the authorization for $2.5 billion would purchase about 400 million tests because that is the information I got when I asked the minister's staff at a briefing. Dr. David Juncker, department chair of biomedical engineering at McGill University, estimates that with the omicron variant, Canada could require 600 million to 700 million tests a month and then two tests per person every week once the wave subsides. Does the the minister think that 400 million tests are going to be anywhere near enough? If not, how many tests do Canadians need for the rest of 2022 to deal with this virus?

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Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos

Feb/14/22 9:17:05 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-10

Mr. Speaker, that is a great question, and I will answer it in two ways. First, obviously these are large numbers of tests, and we hope the House will support this so we will be able to start delivering them directly to Canadians either through the networks and partnerships I mentioned earlier or through the provinces and territories. These large numbers of tests have been added to the 140 million from January and the several million in 2020-21. That being said, it is entirely correct for me to monitor this situation and keep working with our partners in the provinces and territories to see how to equip them to protect the health and safety of Canadians as we move forward.

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Ms. Marie-Hélène Gaudreau (Laurentides—Labelle, BQ)

Feb/14/22 9:18:01 p.m.
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Re: Bill C-10

Mr. Speaker, I would like to wish all members a happy Valentine's Day, and I hope they will have a bit of time to celebrate later tonight. I would like to ask the minister a question. First of all, in his speech, he talked about working closely with Quebec and the provinces and territories to find solutions and get through the pandemic. However, they unanimously stated that one of the measures that should be taken is to increase health transfers. We are saying yes to rapid tests and ad hoc support, but I would like the minister to explain his thinking, since all of the provinces have come up with a winning solution.

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